John Michael Crichton, M.D. pronounced /ekraeten/ , (October 23, 1942 - November 4, 2008) was an American author, producer and director, best known for his work in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres. His books have sold over 150 million copies worldwide. His works were usually based on the action genre and heavily feature technology. Many of his future history novels have medical or scientific underpinnings, reflecting his medical training and science background. He was the author of The Andromeda Strain, Congo, Disclosure, Rising Sun, Timeline, State of Fear, Prey, and Next. He was also the creator of the TV series ER, but is probably most famous for being the author of Jurassic Park, and its sequel The Lost World, both adapted into high grossing films and leading to the very successful franchise. The final book he published before his death was Next, and he also had another project set for some time in 2009